New York: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for the early adoption of the International Covenant on the Right to Development, emphasizing the necessity for all individuals to have the ability to pursue a better future, and for nations to possess the means to facilitate this pursuit.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Prime Minister’s remarks were made during a high-level meeting at the United Nations Headquarters, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development. The Prime Minister highlighted the declaration as a landmark that positioned humans at the forefront of development, recognizing it as an inalienable right.

The Prime Minister noted that the declaration’s message is crucial, as development should not just generate wealth but also advance social progress and uphold human dignity. He expressed concern over the current challenges faced by the developing world, where diminishing fiscal resources are being redirected from human development. Additionally, he pointed out that climate-related disasters are reversing progress, and technological inequalities threaten to perpetuate existing divides in the digital era.

In his address, Prime Minister Sharif outlined Pakistan’s development strategy, which is grounded in a domestic economic transformation plan. This plan focuses on boosting exports, embracing digital technologies, implementing effective climate action, enhancing energy infrastructure, and ensuring equity and empowerment. He mentioned that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor supports these objectives.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister advocated for international measures to address debt distress, which he described as a debt trap, and called for reforms in the global financial system to facilitate concessional financing and support for climate adaptation and digital advancement. He reiterated Pakistan’s support for the swift adoption of the International Covenant on the Right to Development, emphasizing that the true measure of development is not just global advancement but collective human progress.